Self Worth Beyond Sports: You’re More Than Stats, Splits, and Macros
Supporting identity beyond athletic achievement
With fall sports starting back up, many of us start to take a closer look at numbers associated with them. The stats, the grams, the time of that last rep. But, you are not a walking stopwatch, a food scale, or a spreadsheet.
In the current day’s sports, so much of the world revolves around these numbers. And there are more lurking around than you even may realize, like grams of protein at every meal, your weight on the scale, the size of your athletics sets or jersey, and the score of that recent game. But these numbers do not define you!
It’s easy to understand why we look at these numbers. We are taught that these numbers, and improvements to these numbers, are goals to strive for. And it can be so tempting to chase them, and want to improve. But what happens when those numbers aren’t improving?
For a little back story, I grew up running track and cross country from 4th grade to my Junior year of college. I remember being the athlete with thoughts of “This race is only considered a ‘good race’ if I PR and make the podium”. This is where my worth was tied. As college got more and more busy and I started my internship,I didn’t have time to commit to my sport like I previously had. And not only did I not PR that season, but I let the lack of a PR steal the joy for what would be my last collegiate season. It crushed me, and had to come to the difficult reality that race time, podium finish, was not my identity. I started refining athletic success and what that meant for me.
Realize Your Worth
I had to spend some time relearning who I was without competitive sport. In doing so, I learned some other things that sport gave me outside of those pesky numbers. Running gave me quality time with my friends, stress relief, and the physical strength to excel in other areas of my life. It took time to realize that my worth was not tied to what I achieved in my sport, but the moments surrounding it.
Your worth can be tied to a lot of different things. It’s your personality, the type of friend you are to those you love, your values, and the way you shine in life.
I’d love it if you could set a timer, take 3 short minutes, and make a list of all the things you love about yourself, and feel define your worth outside of athletics. Remember, your best memories won’t be your macros, they’ll be the small moments.
Life Beyond the Stopwatch
After looking at your list, it’s time to celebrate things that numbers can’t capture, like laughing with teammates, feeling strong in your body, and finding joy in movement. You are worth so much more, and you have an identity outside of athletics.
This is not to say you cannot celebrate athletic wins or achievements, but a reminder that your sport is part of you, not all of you.
Quick Reset Tips
Here are some more quick reset tips to try. Take a “data detox”. What I mean by this is, go do that workout or practice without the watch, music, or podcast. Just focus on what else that moment provides. You can journal, similarly with the list from earlier, about 3 non-sport things you love about yourself. Again, I suggest setting some form of timer and keeping it as distraction free of a space to let your thoughts flow onto the page. And lastly, and easiest of the 3, Ask yourself, would I still matter if I never PR’d again? If I didn’t win that game? (Spoiler Alert: Yes!)
Please remember, you are a human being, not just a human “doing.” You are worth more than numbers can count. Finding your identity outside of athletics is challenging, and Meant To Eat Nutrition Counseling would love to be a part of your journey. We see clients nationwide and are in network with Aetna and BCBS! Submit an inquiry about utilizing your benefits for nutrition counseling sessions here. It’s possible your sessions could be 100% covered!! We can’t wait to work with you.
This blog was written by Madison Adams, Meant To Eat Nutrition Counseling dietitian. She is currently accepting new clients and specializes in treating eating disorders, sports nutrition, hypothalamic amenorrhea and PCOS, gentle nutrition for metabolic concerns like diabetes or high cholesterol.
